Novembier  B,  1896, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
443 
Weather  in  London. — Daring  the  past  seven  days  the  variations 
in  the  weather  have  been  eoniewhat  considerable.  Bain  has  fallen  on 
several  days,  while  on  others  the  frost  at  night  and  in  the  morning 
has  been  rather  sharp.  On  Wednesday,  at  the  time  of  going  to  press,  it 
is  clear  and  bright. 
-  Weather  in  the  North. — Fine  seasonable  weather  has 
marked  the  past  week  up  to  Tuesday  morning  ;  regular  frosts  of  about 
5°  prevailing,  and  the  days  have  been  generally  bright  and  sunny,  with 
coldish  northerly  winds. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire, 
-  Death  op  Mrs.  Heal. — We  much  regret  to  learn  that  Mr. 
John  Heal,  who  is  well  known  for  his  good  work  in  the  Royal  Exotic 
Nursery  of  Messrs.  James  Veitch  &  Sons,  has  sustained  an  irreparable 
loss  by  the  death  of  his  wife.  Mr.  Heal  is  widely  respected,  and  will  be 
the  recipient  of  sympathy  from  many  friends  on  the  occasion  of  his 
great  bereavement. 
-  East  Cowes  Castle,  Isle  op  Wight  — This  magnificent 
marine  residence  has  passed  from  Lord  Gort  to  bis  eldest  son,  the  Hon. 
J.  G.  P.  Vereker.  The  grounds  are  extensive,  undulating,  and  contain 
«ome  fine  specimens  of  Coniferae.  Some  seedling  Bamboos  (Arundo 
falcata),  which  surround  a  miniature  lake,  are  very  effective  and  graceful, 
tledars  of  Lebanon  (Cedrus  Libani)  and  Oriental  Planes  (Platanus 
orientalis)  are  very  conspicuous,  as  is  a  Paulownia  imperialis.  Along 
the  front  of  the  conservatory  are  Myrtles  and  Pomegranates,  whilst  in 
the  interior  are  fine  specimens  of  Dicksonia  antarctica,  Strelitzia 
aiigusta,  Phoenix  dactylifera,  from  seed  sown  by  Mr.  Hills,  the  able 
gardener,  abo«t  30  feet  throngh ;  Seaforthia  robusts,  with  Holly-like 
«eed,  sessile,  on  thirty  to  forty  peduncles,  each  about  1  foot  in  length. 
Amongst  the  creepers  are  Sutheflandia  frutescens,  a  huge  Wistaria 
sinensis,  Buscus  androgynus,  and  a  variety  of  Chimonanthus.  In  the 
vineries  were  excellent  crops  of  Black  Alicante  and  Lady  Downe’s 
"Grapes.  The  whole  of  the  horticultural  department  is  ably  managed  by 
Mr.  Hills,  the  genial  and  amiable  gardener. — O. 
-  Notes  prom  Scotland. —  Traquair  House  is  the  oldest 
inhabited  mansion  house  in  Scotland,  one  wing  of  it  dating  back  to 
1088.  Here  Queen  Mary  and  Darnley  resided  for  a  considerable 
period  immediately  after  the  birth  of  James  YI.,  whose  cradle,  made 
of  black  oak,  is  still  by  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Stuart  Maxwell,  carefully 
preserved.  Here  also  it  was  that  the  great  Marquis  of  Montrose  first 
drew  rein  and  stayed  for  the  night,  hiving  ridden  in  “  awful  ”  haste 
over  the  high  Muichmoor  after  the  disastrous  battle  of  Philiphaugh. 
Near  Traquair  House  are  two  venerable  trees,  each  of  them  17  feet  in 
■circumference — a  Silver  Fir  and  an  almost  equally  impressive  Yew — 
oach  of  which  is  supposed  to  be  000  years  old.  For  this  information, 
«nd  many  memorable  kindnesses,  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Constable, 
factor  on  the  Traquair  estates,  who  is  devoted  to  arboriculture,  and  is 
rapidly  improving,  by  the  judicious  and  artistic  planting  of  durable 
woods,  the  valleys  of  the  Quair,  the  Yarrow,  and  the  Tweed.  After 
<showing  me  all  the  woodland  beauties  environing  his  residence,  Mr. 
Constable  drove  the  Minister  of  Traquair  and  myself  up  the  valley  of 
•the  Yarrow  (by  the  route  described  in  Wordsworth’s  poem  to  the 
memory  of  the  Ettrick  Shepherd)  to  St.  Mary’s  Loch.  Though  some¬ 
what  destitute  of  sylvan  attractiveness,  and  differing  in  this  respect 
from  similar  regions  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  the  scenery  of  the 
Warrow  has  a  classical  and  poetic  interest  of  the  most  commanding 
-character,  peculiarly  its  own.  It  is  especially  characterised  by  a 
4)ensive  melancholy,  hardly  to  an  equal  extent  discoverable  elsewhere  ; 
And  it  will  always  be  haunted  by  the  spirit  of  Scottish  song.  It 
breathes  of  the  Present  much  less  than  of  the  Past.  On  the  following 
-day  I  visited  the  exquisite  residence  of  Sir  Charles  Tennant,  entitled 
■“  The  Glen,”  where  I  saw  some  superb  Crotons  and  Orchids  and  other 
supremely  beautiful  hothouse  flowers.  In  beauty  of  situation  this 
picturesque  mansion  could  not  easily  be  surpassed.  On  the  19th  I  found 
myself  once  more  at  Clovenfords,  the  great  centre  of  Scottish  Vine 
-cult  vation,  where  Gros  Colman  is  at  present  creating  a  splendid  display 
And  the  Vine  leaves  are  brilliant  beyond  all  description.  I  have  only  to 
Add  that  the  reputation  of  those  vineries  is  (under  the  superintendence 
u)f  Mr.  John  Thomson)  being  grandly  sustained. — D.  W. 
-  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  —  The  next  Fruit  and 
Floral  meeting  will  be  held  on  Tuesday,  November  10th,  in  the  Drill 
Hall,  James  Street,  Victoria  Street,  Westminster,  S.W.,  1  to  4  p  m. 
-  Chrysanthemumtide. — This  is  in  full  flow  now,  and  until 
its  ebb  the  abbreviation  of  communications  that  do  not  suffer  by  the 
process  is  imperative,  while  some  others  that  it  is  desirable  to  give  in. 
extenso,  and  which  will  not  be  prejudiced  by  delay,  must  stand  over  for 
a  little  while,  but  in  all  cases  they  will  appear  as  soon  as  possible. 
-  Gardening  Appointment.s.  —  Mr.  J.  Watson  has  been 
appointed  gardener  to  the  Misses  Lister,  Upper  Heath,  Hampstead. 
Mr.  W.  J.  Bligh,  formerly  head  gardener  and  steward  to  G.  F.  Lyster, 
Esq  ,  Plas  Isaf,  Ruthin,  North  Wales,  has  been  appointed  head  gardener 
and  bailiff  to  H.  H.  Hett,  Esq.,  Highfield,  Shoreham,  Sevenoaks. 
-  Primula  obconica. — I  have  often  wondered  why  it  is  that 
persons  whose  hands  are  affected  with  eczema  or  skin  irritation 
following  from  handling  plants  of  this  Primula  do  not,  to  protect  the 
skin  from  further  suffering,  wear  soft  leather  gloves  whilst  potting  the 
plants.  Surely  that  is  wiser  than  getting  rid  of  the  plants  altogether, 
because  they  give  great  beauty  and  always  merit  cultivation  in  pots. 
It  seems  as  reasonable  to  destroy  Cactuses  because  so  spiny,  or  Roses  for 
a  similar  reason,  for  both  if  they  pierce  the  flesh  greatly  irritate.  After 
all,  the  proportion  of  those  who,  handling  Primula  obconica,  suffer  from 
the  irritation  is  not  large.  Farther,  one  is  seldom  in  any  good  garden 
without  seeing  some  plants. — Observer. 
- Presentation  to  Messrs.  Backhouse. — An  interesting 
ceremony  took  place  last  Thursday  afternoon  at  Messrs.  Backhouse  and 
Son’s  Gardens,  near  York,  when  a  deputation  of  the  Ancient  Society  of 
York  Florists  waited  upon  Messrs.  Backhouse  to  present  to  them  a  gold 
medal  and  address  as  an  acknowledgment  of  their  generous  assistance  to 
the  Society  in  sending  collections  of  plants,  flowers,  and  fruits  for  com¬ 
plimentary  exhibition  at  the  summer  shows  of  the  Society.  The  deputa¬ 
tion  consisted  of  Mr.  Geo.  Lamb,  Treasurer  ;  Mr.  J.  Lazenby,  Secretary 
Mr.  J.  E.  Wilkinson,  and  Mr.  John  Pillmoor,  Stewards  ;  Mr.  Councillor 
Staines,  Mr.  R.  Mackintosh,  and  Mr.  E.  Everard.  Mr,  Wilkinson,  as  the 
senior  Steward,  made  the  presentation,  which  was  accompanied  by  an 
illuminated  address.  Mr.  James  Backhouse  accepted,  in  appropriate 
terms,  the  token  of  goodwill  presented  to  his  firm,  which  he  hoped  would 
continue  to  further  the  interests  of  the  Society. 
-  Winchester  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  As¬ 
sociation, — The  fifth  annual  meeting  of  the  above  Association  was 
held  on  Tuesday,  October  27th,  The  Secretary’s  report  stated  that  the 
Society  was  still  in  a  good  financial  condition,  with  a  substantial  balance 
in  hand.  The  number  of  ordinary  members  is  a  little  over  100,  and 
the  honorary  members  over  forty.  Mr.  Mayo,  who  has  been  Chairman 
three  years  in  succession,  resigned.  Mr.  Munt,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Warner, 
was  elected  Chairman  ;  and  Mr.  Neville,  gardener  to  F.  W.  Flight,  Esq., 
Twyford,  Vice-Chairman  ;  Mr.  Lowns,  the  Hon.  Sec.,  was  re-elected  ; 
and  Mr.  Witt,  Assistant  Sec.  The  average  attendance  during  the 
past  year  has  been  fifty.  Lectures  during  the  winter  will  be  given  by 
Professors  Gilchrist  and  Foulkes,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Hampshire 
County  Council. 
-  Grand  Yorkshire  Gala— -Grants  to  Charities.  — At  a 
general  meeting  of  guarantors  and  life  members  of  the  Grand  York¬ 
shire  Gala,  held  at  Harker’s  Hotel,  York,  Sir  Joseph  Terry,  J.P.. 
presiding,  the  following  resolution  had  been  received  from  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  “The  Council  of  this  Society  having  heard  from 
members  of  the  deputation  attending  the  York  Gala  of  the  great  kind¬ 
ness  and  hospitality  extended  to  them  by  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Lady 
Mayoress  of  York  and  by  the  Chairman  and  Committee  of  the  Gala,  wish 
to  express  to  his  Lordship  and  the  Lady  Mayoress  and  to  all  the 
members  of  the  Committee,  their  very  best  thanks  and  sincere  apprecia¬ 
tion  of  the  courtesy  shown  to  their  deputation.”  The  Chairman  moved  : 
— “  That  the  life  members  and  guarantors  of  the  Grand  Yorkshire 
Gala  beg  to  tender  their  grateful  thanks  to  the  Right  Hon,  the  Lord 
Mayor  (Mr,  Alderman  Milward,  J.P.)  and  the  Lady  Mayoress  for  their 
generous  hospitality  in  entertaining  the  deputation  from  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  on  the  occasion  of  their  last  annual  fete.”  Mr.  J. 
Blenkin  seconded  the  resolution,  which  was  agreed  to  con.  On  the 
motion  of  Mr.  Hodgson,  seconded  by  Mr,  Henry  Scott,  the  following 
grants  were  made  York  County  Hospital,  £30  ;  York  Dispensary, 
£30  ;  York  Lunatic  Asylum,  £20  ;  York  Home  for  Nurses,  £10  ;  York 
Home  for  Friendless  Girls,  £5,  and  St.  Stephen’s  Orphanage,  £5.  It 
was  resolved  to  hold  next  year’s  Gala  on  the  IGth,  17tb,  and  18th  of 
June. 
